Having ready made meals in your freezer is nothing new.
However, it takes planning and usually involves precooking before freezing. More recently the
idea of assembling meals to put in the freezer without precooking has become popular. The idea is appealing on many levels. It certainly is less prep work and the meal is freshly cooked.
This recipe is a great introduction to having a slow cooker freezer meal ready and is easily customized to smaller or larger portions. I have tripled this recipe in my slow cooker to feed a crowd with no problem. This is also a great meal to make for Sunday lunch because it is ready to eat as soon as you walk in the door!
If you purchase chicken in large value packs, you can make several meals in a very short time. If you are not interested in assembling and freezing this meal, simply combine the ingredients right into your slow cooker!
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breasts. You can also use split chicken breasts, just remember to remove the small bones.
2-3 cups of salsa. I like to use a mix of spicy and mild.
2 cans black beans drained
1 Tbl chili powder
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
Additional optional ingredients:
1 onion diced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup frozen sweet corn
Directions:
Label a large freezer gallon bag with contents and cooking instructions.
Combine all ingredients into the bag. If you are making several at once, setting up an assembly line will speed things up and get the raw chicken out of the way.
Using 3 cups of salsa, will make a more saucy end product that is great served over rice, but a little messy for tortillas. Use the amount your family would enjoy.
To cook, defrost bag the night before.
Dump contents of bag into slow cooker. Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hrs.
Shred chicken with two forks and remove bones if necessary.
Season with desired amount of salt and pepper.
Serve over hot rice or in tortillas with desired toppings of sour cream, cheese, cilantro, avocados or scallions.
Though she grew up in a Christian home, Allison did not realize her need of being born again until she was 21 years old, when she repented of her sin and put her faith in Jesus Christ alone. She is thrilled to be a member of a vibrant church where the gospel is preached clearly and unashamedly!
Allison is wife to Roland, who is the senior pastor at LVBC. She is also mother to five children. She enjoys reading, sewing, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.